Later this year, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will be opening a new tower building that will feature 268 brand-new timeshare rooms. This DVC property extension, the Island Tower, is currently under construction and will open in December 2024. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort first opened in 1971 with 492 guest rooms across eight buildings, known as longhouses. Today, the resort has 484 non-timeshare rooms, 360 DVC studios, and 20 DVC overwater bungalows across a dozen longhouses. The new timeshare units at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will be part of the current DVC contracts for ..read more

ARDA just released the March results of the AIF Vacation Ownership Sentiment Index. This closed out the first quarter of 2024 and showed a positive travel attitude from timeshare owners. This index was first launched in February 2023 to provide monthly updates on the timeshare owner sentiment and give insight on anticipated behaviors relative to the larger traveler market. It also measures the overall health of the timeshare industry on a regular basis. In the March index, it showed that timeshare owners are more than twice as likely than the average traveler to strongly agree that “there are ..read more

Marriott Vacations Worldwide is granting its 100th wish through the company’s two-year partnership with Make-A-Wish. Through this sponsorship, Marriott has provided incredible vacation experiences to wish kids and their families within their family of Vacation Club resorts. Make-A-Wish celebrates World Wish Month in April. As part of the celebration, Marriott Vacations Worldwide welcomed nine-year-old Layla Catts and her family to the Sheraton Vistana Resort in Orlando. There, she was treated to a VIP pool party and took a private pony ride through the petting zoo staff had brought in. Marriot ..read more

Vacation Innovations (“VI” or the “Company”), a leading provider of travel-related products, software, and services, was recently honored with two awards in the 2024 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Awards Program. The Company received the New Products: Industry Partner award for its Maintenance Fee Protection program, a first-of-its-kind product that reimburses the cost of annual maintenance fees for timeshare owners when they are unable to use their interval or points. This product serves the interests of both the consumer and the industry, providing relief for owners who can’t ..read more

Leading vacation company Marriott Vacations Worldwide was recognized for its many hardworking teams, publications, and more at the annual American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Spring Conference 2024. The Marriott brand is widely known for having exceptional properties, personnel, and technology, and these attributes were recognized when it took home 11 awards. ARDA is a nonprofit trade association for the timeshare industry known for its focus on advocacy. It has over 350 members, all of which are companies (privately held and publicly traded) within the timeshare industry. Each sprin ..read more

Leading external exchange company, RCI, is celebrating 50 years in the industry and recently celebrated Earth Day by announcing the winners of the annual RCI® Green Awards program. RCI Green Awards are given out annually to RCI-affiliated resorts that are leaders in environmentally sustainable operation practices. Third-party eco-certification expert GreenCircle Certified, LLC verifies the nominated resorts and chooses winners in the Platinum, Gold, and Silver categories. The rankings are based on advances in energy and water conservation, waste management, community outreach, and environmenta ..read more

Hilton Grand Vacations was recently honored at the 2024 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Awards Program with eight prestigious awards. These ARDA awards celebrate top-rated resorts, teams, and individuals in the timeshare industry. HGV has earned two coveted ARDA Circle of Excellence (ACE) Awards for the second year in a row. These awards represent the highest level of excellence within the resort industry. Elara, a Hilton Club was recognized with the esteemed ACE Project of Excellence accolade. Furthermore, the company was presented with an ACE Philanthropy and Community Service ..read more

Westgate Resorts and Arrivia have announced that they are both extending and enhancing their partnership to provide Westgate Resorts owners with an incredible selection of travel benefits at unbeatable prices. Through this, Westgate owners will have full access to the Westgate Cruise and Travel Collection, powered by arrivia. Westgate Resorts owners will also be offered a Cruise Exchange option where they can deposit their weeks for World of Westgate Experience Points. These can be used to pay for all or part of a cruise vacation on any cruise line with no blackout dates. This new capability u ..read more

Due to the growing demand for timeshares outside of the customary vacation destinations, leading hospitality company Marriott Vacations Worldwide has just announced its newest collection of timeshare properties: the Marriott Vacation Club City Collection. Currently, the Club City Collection has seven properties including popular city destinations like Boston, New York City, and San Francisco. Though this sub-genre of timeshares will remain just a small portion of the company’s expansive portfolio of timeshare properties, executives have noticed the increased interest. CEO John Geller discussed ..read more

Westgate Resorts has named longtime company executive Jim Gissy Chief Executive Officer. This was made effective on March 5, 2024. Company Founder, David Siegel, will remain Executive Board Chairman and President. He will also continue to be the leader in all major company decision-making. In this role, Gissy will oversee all company operations, sales, and marketing. Gissy stated: “It’s an honor to help lead this incredible organization and work side by side with the most talented group of Team Members in the industry. I am humbled to take on this responsibility from my mentor and friend for ..read more